Ugandan rights activists and politicians have filed a
legal challenge to overturn a tough anti-gay law
condemned by Western donors.
The law violated the rights of gay people and
subjected them to “cruel and inhuman punishment”,
they said.
Several cases of “violence and retaliation” have
been reported since President Yoweri Museveni
signed the law last month, the activists added.
Uganda is a deeply conservative society where
many people oppose gay rights.
However, some people are beginning to question
whether punishments proposed in the law are too
harsh, reports BBC Uganda correspondent Catherine
Byaruhanga.
It allows life imprisonment as the penalty for acts of
“aggravated homosexuality” and also criminalises
the “promotion of homosexuality”.
The Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and
Constitutional Law, which represents about 50
groups, filed the petition in the Constitutional Court,
asking for the law to be annulled.
Ruling party MP Fox Odoi, who is Museveni’s
former legal adviser, was among the lead
petitioners.
He broke ranks with his party by opposing the law
in parliament, and said he did not fear a backlash
from voters in the 2016 election, our reporter says.
“I don’t fear losing an election. There is only one
thing I fear – living in a society that has no room for
minorities. I will not live in a society that doesn’t
respect and protect people who are different from
the majority,” Odoi said.
Prominent Ugandan journalist Andrew Mwenda also
supported the court action.
“This Act not only represents an effort by the
executive and parliament to scapegoat an unpopular
minority for political gain, but we believe it also
violates the highest law of our country,” he said.
Some people known or suspected to be gay had
faced “violence and retaliation” since the law was
signed, the coalition said in a statement, the AFP
news agency reports.
It had documented 10 cases of arrests of people,
and at least three cases of landlords evicting
tenants, the coalition added.
Uganda’s authorities have defended the law, saying
President Museveni wanted “to demonstrate
Uganda’s independence in the face of Western
pressure and provocation”.
The World Bank has postponed a $90m (£54m) loan
to Uganda to improve its health services after the
law was approved.
Several European nations – including Denmark,
Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden – have cut
aid to Uganda to show their opposition to the law.
The sponsor of the law, MP David Bahati, insists
that homosexuality is a “behaviour that can be
learned and can be unlearned”.
Thursday, 13 March 2014
Ugandan rights activists challenge anti-gay law
Pension thieves cashed 400 cheques in one day – Witness
A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of seven
persons accused of complicity in the over N20bn
police pension fraud, Mustapha Gadanya, has
narrated to Justice Hussein Baba of the Federal
Capital Territory High Court how 400 cheques were
cashed in a day by the accused persons.
Led in evidence by Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, Gadanya
told the court on Tuesday in Abuja that he obtained
and analyzed the certified true copy of instruments
used in making withdrawals in the name of
Veronica Onyegbula and the Directors of Police
Pension office, Esai Dangaba, Atiku Abubakar and
Inuwa Wada.
A statement by the head, Public Relations unit,
EFCC, Wilson Uwajaren, explained that Gadanya told
the court that the directors carried out the cheque
transactions without any letter of exemption from
compliance with the e-payment circular from the
office of the Accountant General.
“Over 400 cheques were withdrawn and we got this
information from the bank statement furnished us
by First Bank Plc.
“We discovered that the three directors are all
signatories to the fraudulent cheques. We also
discovered that Mrs. Uzoma Attang, John Yusuf,
Gabriel Ikpe, Mike Okoro and one Mrs Amu
(currently at large), are among those who signed
the cheques,” Gadanya said.
Justice Baba who was apparently shocked by the
revelation, sought to know from the witness what
currency was involved to which the witness
responded, “Naira my Lord”.
Gadanya then went on to state that between
January 31, 2011 and May 6, 2011, over N1bn was
withdrawn and that the sum of N650m was
withdrawn on January 31, 2011.
Gunmen open fire on Benue gov’s convoy
Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam narrowly
escaped death on Tuesday when his convoy was
attacked by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
Suswam’s convoy was on its way to Gbajimba in
Guma Local Government Area of the state when the
incident occurred.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria , the
governor was on a fact finding mission following the
continuous invasion of many communities on the
Daudu-Gbajimba road by herders.
NAN which did not provide detailed information
about another attack on Tse-Akenyi, reported that
there was about an hour exchange of gunfire
between the bandits and Suswam’s security aides.
Suswam, who confirmed the incident, told the
victims of the attack in Gbajimba, that the situation
was disturbing.
He added that people must defend themselves if
security operatives failed to do their job.
The governor said, “I salute each and every one of
you for your courage and steadfastness throughout
this period. This is beyond the herdsmen; this is a
real war.
“On my way to this place, they exchanged gunfire
with us for over one hour before we were able to
get here.
“My people are being butchered and their homes
destroyed. So, if the security agents, especially the
military, cannot provide security for us, we will
have to defend ourselves.
“I cannot abandon you people at this point in time to
die. You voted me to provide security for you and
that I must do for you.
“These Fulani are not like the real Fulanis we used
to know. Please return to your homes and defend
your land. Do not allow anybody to make you slaves
in your home land. ’’
The Guma LGA Chairman, Mr. Frank Adi, condemned
the killings and destruction of homes by the
herdsmen.
Adi, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Godwin
Viashima, appealed to the government to provide
them with security operatives.
When contacted, Suswam’s Director of Press, Dr.
Cletus Akwaya, said the attackers killed some
people in the sacked villages.
He said “His Excellency went to the crisis area to
look at the level of destruction when he was
attacked. Schools in this area have been closed
down since the crisis started in 2011.
“The marauders sacked the villages and some of
the schools are now being occupied by their cows.
They sacked villages in Gwer, Guma-West. Some
bodies were recovered from some of these areas
without bullet wounds.”
Akwaya added that government officials suspected
that the invaders were insurgents who moved into
Nigeria from Mali.
He said, “There are suspicions that the marauders
may have used chemical weapons. They may be
people who moved from Libya to Mali and they are
here now.
“What they are doing in the North-East is what they
are trying to bring to the North-Central states of
Benue, Plateau and Nassarawa . It is not what the
state government alone can handle.”
He, however, said there was no casualty among
members of the governor’s convoy.
Meanwhile, suspected members of Boko Haram
have attacked the convoy of Gwoza LGA Chairman,
Hamman Ahmadu, destroying two vehicles and
leaving three policemen and two drivers missing.
It was learnt that Ahmadu and his convoy ran into a
siege laid by the sect members near a bridge on the
Bama-Gwoza Road at about 4.35pm on Monday.
Narrating the incident to journalists on Tuesday,
Mallam Baba, a driver attached to Borno State
Government House in Maiduguri, said, “On reaching
the bridge, after returning from Gwoza, and Barawa
on an official visit, we were surrounded by several
gunmen at the destroyed Firgi Bridge.
“They shot from all directions and that made three
drivers to reverse and escape. Two other vehicles,
including my Toyota Hilux, were abandoned. I had
to crawl for about 300 metres to escape from the
insurgents.”
Asked to give the number of people killed, Baba
said, “It is only God that saved our lives yesterday
evening (Monday), including the council chairman.
Three policemen and two other drivers are
missing.”